Creamed Spinach

Creamed Spinach

This is a stick-to-your-ribs, warm-you-up, side dish.  This recipe like most is a good serving size for 4 people; I get 2 meals out of it!  This is not the conventional creamed spinach recipe that calls for tons of butter and cheese, it is low fat and delicious.  What is also great about this recipe is that it is a total “pantry” dish that is a quick go-to on a busy day.

Serves 4

1 300 g package frozen chopped spinach

1 tbsp margarine or butter

1 tbsp whole wheat flour

1 tbsp fat free sour cream

Salt

Pepper

–  Cook the spinach according to package directions on the stovetop and season with salt.

–  When you drain the spinach do it over a bowl because you are going to use the water that the spinach was cooked in to make the sauce.

–  After you have drained the spinach, return the pot to the stove and turn the heat on medium high.  Add the butter or margarine.

–  When the butter/margarine is melted, add the flour and mix well (use a whisk).  You are making a rue here and as such are looking for a wet sand look.

–  Keep stirring the mixture for about one minute, this will get rid of the raw flour taste.

–  Slowly add the reserved spinach water to the pot, about a cup to a cup and a half.  Whisk constantly until there are no lumps left in the sauce.

–  Make sure the spinach is well drained (squeeze out the excess water) before adding it to the sauce; otherwise it will make the sauce watery.

–  After the spinach has been added to the sauce mix well, turn the heat to low and then stir in the sour cream and season with pepper only.  Taste to adjust the seasoning; I say this because you will be using the spinach water that has been seasoned with salt already and you don’t want to make the spinach too salty.

Notes:

1.  Yes I said butter!  Butter has gotten a bad deal lately; it is higher in saturated fat yes, the bad kind of fat but it does have fewer calories than other fats.  Also, butter will give you a rich flavour here and don’t forget this recipe calls for one tbsp between 4 people, that’s not bad at all.

2.  The flour and butter mixture is a basic rue, the more you cook it down the less thickening abilities it has.  If you were to add milk or cream to the rue it would be a basic béchamel sauce!

3.  I have read that spinach is actually better for you when it is cooked.  Apparently it is easier for your body to absorb its nutrients when it’s cooked.